2000
#108,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Gebreyesus
An Amharic surname indicating "Servant of Jesus".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 511 Americans carry the last name Gebreyesus. That puts it at #50,632 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 670,752 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gebreyesus surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
511
1 in 670,752
Census rank
#50,632
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
446
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 446 bearers of the surname Gebreyesus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 50632nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebreyesus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and White (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gebreyesus
The surname GEBREYESUS originates from Eritrea and Ethiopia, where it has been present for centuries. The name is derived from the Ge'ez language, an ancient Semitic language that was spoken in the region. The meaning of GEBREYESUS can be translated as "servant of Jesus" or "servant of the Lord Jesus."
The earliest recorded instances of the GEBREYESUS surname can be found in medieval manuscripts and records from the ancient Aksumite Kingdom, which ruled over parts of modern-day Eritrea and Ethiopia. This kingdom was a major center of Christianity in the region, and it is likely that the name originated within this context.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the GEBREYESUS surname was Abba Gebreyesus, a renowned Ethiopian monk and scholar who lived in the 15th century. He was known for his extensive writings on various subjects, including theology, philosophy, and history.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the GEBREYESUS name appeared in various historical records from the Kingdom of Ethiopia. For example, Abune Gebreyesus was a prominent Ethiopian Orthodox clergyman who served as the Abuna (Archbishop) of the Ethiopian Church in the early 17th century.
In the 19th century, Gebreyesus Hailu was a notable Ethiopian nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the campaigns against the Egyptians and Italians during the Scramble for Africa.
Another prominent figure with the GEBREYESUS surname was Gebreyesus Hailu, an Ethiopian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie in the mid-20th century.
Gebreyesus Amde was a renowned Ethiopian writer and poet who made significant contributions to the development of modern Amharic literature in the early 20th century.
While the GEBREYESUS surname is primarily found in Eritrea and Ethiopia, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gebreyesus
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebreyesus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and White (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gebreyesus bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gebreyesus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.4% · 421
- Two or more races2.5% · 11
- White1.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gebreyesus
Gebreyesus appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#63,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 314
+163 bearers (+107.9%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 45,210 places
2020
#50,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 446
+132 bearers (+42.0%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 12,892 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,734 | 151 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #63,524 | 314 | 0.11 | +163 bearers (+107.9%) | Up 45,210 places |
| 2020 | #50,632 | 446 | 0.15 | +132 bearers (+42.0%) | Up 12,892 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gebreyesus surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #63,524 | #50,632 | 20.3% |
| Count | 314 | 446 | 42.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.15 | 35.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gebreyesus bearers went from 314 to 446 (+42.0% change). The surname moved up 12,892 positions in the national ranking, going from #63,524 to #50,632.
FAQ
Gebreyesus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gebreyesus?
Name Census estimates that about 511 living Americans carry the surname Gebreyesus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 670,752 residents.
How common is Gebreyesus?
Gebreyesus ranks #50,632 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 446 people with the surname Gebreyesus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (511), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gebreyesus.
Has Gebreyesus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gebreyesus went from 314 recorded bearers to 446. That is an increase of 132 (+42.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #63,524 to #50,632.
What does the Census say about the background of Gebreyesus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebreyesus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and White (1.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gebreyesus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (421 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gebreyesus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (94.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%), White (1.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gebreyesus (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gebreyesus mean?
An Amharic surname indicating "Servant of Jesus". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gebreyesus (0.15 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Gebreyesus?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.